Whether you want to show support for animals or simply choose to avoid meat products, becoming a vegetarian can be a very healthy lifestyle choice. Though it decreases your risk for many long-term diseases, a vegetarian diet can make it difficult to get the protein and other nutrients a person needs to stay healthy and energized.

These vegetarian eating tips can help you create a balanced, meat-free diet:

• Make sure that you get enough protein by incorporating nuts, beans, peas and soy products into meals and snacks.
• Keep up with your necessary iron intake to create healthy oxygen absorption in the blood by eating a lot of spinach, kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and iron-fortified cereals.
• Choose calcium-fortified soy milk to replace the calcium normally found in regular cow’s milk.
• Consider vegetarian alternatives to traditionally meat-based foods to keep your diet exciting (for example, bean burritos, veggie lo mein, or vegetarian lasagna).

Tips for Vegetarians [USDA]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Mackenzie Kosut

Combining traditional Texas farm culture with the expansive wonder of a nature preserve, the Kleb Woods Nature Preserve is a truly unique way to experience Tomball and its surrounding areas. Today, the preserve spans over 133 acres full of trees, plants, and wildlife, and it still hosts the buildings and homes used by 20th-century Southeast Texas farmers.

The original farmhouse still stands next to a renovated Nature Center, which features ever-changing exhibits and an auditorium with educational nature programs. The Nature Center frequently offers lectures, history discussions, live bluegrass music, and language lessons. There are also trails spanning much of the grounds of the Kleb Woods Nature Preserve, which attract hikers and birdwatchers alike.

Kleb Woods Nature Preserve’s trails are open from 7 a.m. until dusk every day. The Nature Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and a full list of classes and lectures is available on the preserve’s website.

Kleb Woods Nature Preserve
20303 Draper Road
Tomball, TX 77377
(281) 357-5324
www.ci.tomball.tx.us/index.aspx?NID=343

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Alexis Fam Photography

Uni Sushi features a flavorful selection of sophisticated fare in an upscale Art Deco setting with chandeliers and onyx columns. If sushi's your thing, settle in at the sushi bar and order one of their specialty rolls like the Angry Dragon with yellowtail, jalapenos, cilantro, habanero, tobiko, and ponzu sauce.

If you prefer something warm, a bowl of Miso Soup is always a nice choice. Rock Shrimp Tempura, Lobster and Shrimp Rolls, and Gyoza Dumplings are on the appetizer menu, and Uni Sushi's entrees include dishes like Wild Mushroom Chicken, Asian Pesto Tuna, Rib Eye Beef Rolls, Firecracker Chicken and Sauteed Shrimp & Scallops, all served with steamed rice and your choice of vegetable tempura or Asian vegetable sautee!

Uni Sushi is open Monday through Saturday in The Woodlands.

Uni Sushi
9595 Six Pines
The Woodlands, TX 77380
www.marketstreet-thewoodlands.com/directory/taste/dining-restaurantes/uni-sushi/
www.yelp.com/biz/uni-sushi-the-woodlands

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/kev-shine